Attitudes toward spousal caregiving and their correlates among aging women

The study examined the attitudes of elderly Israeli women (n = 259) toward three aspects of spousal caregiving: commitment to caregiving, perceived harmful effects, and delegating responsibility to others. In addition, the study examined the contribution of several variables toward explaining these attitudes: background variables, equality in marital relations, spousal resources, and affective variables. The findings indicate that on the whole, commitment to care for the spouse was most prevalent, while perceived harmful effects and delegating responsibility to others were emphasized less. Of the independent variables examined, equality in dyadic relations explained all three aspects of caregiving. Moreover, women with high levels of emotional hardiness were less likely to delegate responsibility for caregiving. In addition, a negative relationship was found between anticipated dependence on the husband and the wife's tendency to delegate responsibility for caregiving. Finally, the affective variables (satisfaction with life and marital complaints) contributed significantly toward explaining attitudes toward spousal caregiving. (C) 2001 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved.